Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

A recent survey by Accenture (ACN) revealed that around half of U.S. consumers will do business somewhere else as a result of poor customer service. All industries suffered loss.

Retailers lost the most amount of customers with 18 percent leaving because of poor service. Internet service providers were next with 15 percent, banks at 14 percent and home telephone companies at 12 percent.

Business Wire reports:

"The Accenture survey also provided insights about which aspects of customer service most frustrated consumers. Those most frequently identified by the respondents included: being kept on hold on the phone too long (selected by 72 percent of respondents); having to repeat information to multiple service representatives (70 percent); the inability of customer-service agents to answer questions (66 percent); and customer service representatives marketing more services or products to callers (60 percent)."

When you look at all the frustrations, what it amounts to is that true customer service isn't being provided. There are a lack of representatives (on the phone too long), poor training (repeat information to multiple service representatives and inability to answer questions), and focusing on marketing rather than dealing with the issued at hand (marketing more services or products to callers).

These statistics aren't surprising as every study shows most of the same problems all the time. Few companies have the will and determination to deal with them. Those that do will win big time.